Thursday, October 31, 2013

Halloween Memorial

I have been very blessed to know some amazing bloggers, but one who was very dear to my heart was my good friend, John Wolfe. He ran the blog Season of Shadows and embodied all things vintage and true Halloween. He would begin early in the year designing elaborate home haunts and sharing on video how he went about designing them. He did lots of volunteer work and was always available for anyone. He sought to understand the spiritual and the other side. In fact, as he was dying, he said he would contact me through EVPs. And, he asked me to write his memorial which I did and he read it and approved of it before his passing at much too early an age in his 30s. Each Halloween, I will post his memorial here. Halloween is his season, his paradise, and I miss him something awful every October. I'd like to share him with you now -

"All
that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream"

(Edgar
Allen Poe)

(John Wolfe)

“Night
of the Wolf” Nox Arcana (one of his favorites)

I am so very sorry to have to announce that one of the most beloved Halloween Bloggers of all time has passed from this earthly plane to his higher purpose.

John Wolfe of Season of Shadows blog was not only adored by all who came to his blog, but felt they were visiting his home. He was a gracious host. His love of nostalgic Halloween, horror, and crafting haunting props was what drew people in, but it was charity and kindness to others that made him so loved.

When I started blogging in 2008, he found my blog and we fast became friends. Through the years, we emailed regularly and shared our ups and downs in life and his wisdom and spiritually centered point of view helped me during my divorce when I was scared of the unknown. He reminded me of my potential and also of the fact that I love horror and so the unknown should not frighten me. He comforted me, believed in me, supported my blog, and was a voice of reason when I needed it most.

John was everything Halloween and horror. He had an artist's eyes and hands, a Buddhist's soul, and a child's excitement and enthusiasm. Here is John's favorite Halloween memory in his own words:

On the night of October 31st,
we had a huge turnout of trick-or-treaters and parents. One masked
face quickly blended into another amidst the backdrop of strobe
lights, black lights, dark hallways and creepy music. By the time the
fog machine had belched its last puff of smoke, the clock signified
November was upon us. Quickly, we broke down the haunt’s interior, knowing our 5 AM
wake-up call would soon be screeching louder than a group of scared,
plastic jack-o-lantern toting, eight year old’s. My grandparents
were to be vendors at a community arts and crafts sale that morning
and several of us had volunteered to lend a hand.

Four hours of sleep and tons of caffeine later, the previously
masked faces of trick-or-treaters were now replaced by the faces of
paying customers blurrily passing by. Alone I sat, half coherent,
manning my grandparents’ booth – exhausted from climbing out of a
grave (about a thousand times) the night before.

“Excuse me,” “Excuse me,” a cheery voice called out,
interrupting my detailed analysis of the inside of my eyelids. It was
a woman, in her mid 30’s, inquiring about the price of an item on
the table. She commented on how tired I looked, so, I lightly brushed
on the fact I was exhausted from Halloween activities.

Without missing a beat, the woman began explaining how horrible
her night had started out. She had the intentions of staying home,
utterly depressed over many circumstances in her life, when her phone
rang. Friends, aware of her mood, were inquiring about getting her
out of the house to go trick-or-treating with their kids.

After a lot of persuading, she finally accepted but was still
unable to shake her depressed state throughout the night. Eventually,
they came upon a home that contained haunted rooms and a hallway
leading up to the house’s front porch. Inside the haunt, there was
scary music, strobe lights, a graveyard, fog and “monsters”
everywhere.

Inspired by the fact someone had so much passion to create
something so large, all for a single night; that haunt (our haunt),
helped to pull her out of her mood and shift her attitude. In fact,
she said she was still feeling the positive effects that next morning
and was inspired to more consistently follow creative outlets in her
own life.

Though I’m appreciative of all visitor feedback, and I have a
lot of fond Halloween memories, I’ve always been extremely proud of
that moment. It’s not often that Halloween is thought of as an
uplifting night. Many times, we see individuals (and groups)
chastising Halloween because of its darkness and supposed negativity.
It goes to show that even amidst the darkness, a ton of love, light
and joy can be spread and people can be uplifted by the
efforts of haunters and Halloween enthusiasts everywhere.

So, that was one of my favorite Halloween memories.

(This is video above is one of his amazing Halloween haunts he put on for the neighborhood)

"For
most men, time moves slowly, oh so slowly, they don't even realize
it. But time has revealed itself to me in a very special way. Time is
a rushing, howling wind that rages past me, withering me in a single,
relentless blast, and then continues on. I've been sitting here
passively, submissive to its rage, watching its work. Listen! Time,
howling, withering!"

(quote
from “Dark Shadows” show)

He shared his knowledge as a Halloween
haunter. He had how-to instructions meticulously laid out and videos
on YouTube. John also was a man who put 110% into everything he did from his work to his haunt designs, his blog to his spiritual growth. Here is his other site Winds of the Soul that shows what a very spiritual and tender soul he was.

John Wolfe was an Artist, through and through. Not just a haunter,
but an Artist, of the greatest kind; talented, humble, kind,
friendly, and funny. I had discovered his site in late 2009, through
Pumpkinrot's blog. I was astounded by the sheer detail, yet
simplicity, of John's amazing creations; so much so, that I immediately emailed him to tell him I enjoyed his work. We started
sending emails back and forth, and he would sometimes advise me on
haunt ideas. I came to enjoy reading his almost daily blog
posts, listening to his online radio, and chuckling and smiling at
his tales of Halloweens past. He never failed to appreciate his loyal
fans and readers; I remember at Thanksgiving 2010, he had sent
me a free Nox Arcana CD and other cool Halloween goodies simply
because to show his appreciation of his regular readers. I still
have the CD, and I will always cherish it, because it was a mark of
a great Artist, Haunter, and Friend. If there is an Afterlife just
for Haunters and Halloween People, I know that John Wolfe will be
there. John, if you can read this, know that you will never be
forgotten, not by me, or anyone, for Artists Never Die. God Rest.

From Barry at GnostalgiaHe was a man who enjoyed giving joy. From time to time, I will watch his Halloween videos. I can't help but laugh at the trick or treaters' reaction to his animated prop witch. Shock followed by laughter. The Halloween candy was finished in a few days, but the memories will endure. The ripples from his good deeds will last forever.

Please donate in his memory to John's
favorite charity. Water was the focus of his charity work. It is the
essence of life. I have also placed a Season of Shadows button my blog in his memory to make it easier to donate. Or you can donate here.

"We are not human beings having a
spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human
experience."
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Safe passage, John, to the greatest haunt of all. Forever you will be the guardian of Halloween in our hearts and in the spirit of the Season of Shadows.

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ABOUT ME

Sharon Day is a researcher, author, working in oil and gas industry equipment sales, equity investing and promoting of disruptive technologies. She is also co chair of a film industry group working on films..

How To Make a Haunted Mirror Par 1

How To Make a Haunted Mirror Part 2

In Memory of John Wolfe / Season of Shadows

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